Foothill High School teacher Heather Collins was recognized recently for her innovative efforts to get students out of the classroom to teach them as effectively as possible.

A teacher in the Mentally Challenged Specialized (MCS) department at Foothill, Collins was a winner of ING's 2005 Unsung Heroes award program and received a $2,000 grant to begin implementing her "On Our Own" project in the school. This year 100 educators were awarded grants for $2,000. Of those initial winners, three will be awarded additional top prizes in the form of grants for $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.